2026 Battle for the Brain lip syncing competition raises more than $2 million for Alzheimer’s research

ATLANTA — This year’s edition of the Battle for the Brain lip syncing competition, which is held annually to support Alzheimer’s research, raised more than $2 million, organizers said.

11Alive’s Joe Ripley reported earlier this month on the event that’s been ongoing since 2017, organized by Daughters Against Alzheimer’s.

Last year, Battle for the Brain raised $1.5 million. Since 2017, the event has raised more than $9 million, with proceeds benefiting Emory University’s Goizueta Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. 

Their goal for this year’s event at the Coca-Cola Roxy on February 5 was $2 million, which they cleared with $2.13 million raised.

Organizers reported that this year more than 1,500 people attended, and more than 5,000 people were watching the livestream at its peak.

Fundraising will also keep going through March 31.

This year’s fundraising champion was Tootsies and the performance champion was Delta Air Lines.

Delta, Tootsies, Dorsey Alston Realtors, Julie’s Groove Crew, Morgan Stanley and RCG Ventures were among the groups that raised more than $100,000 each.

“I’ve been Gene Simmons, I’ve been Slash from Guns N’ Roses, I’ve been part of the Bee Gees, part of the Rolling Stones,” Max Hilsman, a managing director at Morgan Stanely who participates in the event and who lost both his father-in-law and grandmother to Alzheimer’s, told 11Alive this month. “It’s very promising to see the advancements in research and testing and in the treatment options now available that weren’t available ten years ago when we started this. This disease is so unique in that it’s very isolating. Many of the patients, you watch them deteriorate in real time, which is just an awful thing to experience. I would encourage those people, both affected as patients and as families, to get involved and to join a community.”